Law Times

Page 16 December 1, 2014 • Law Times www.lawtimesnews.com CONWAY CELEBRATES LAUNCH OF LITIGATION BOUTIQUE Former Law Society of Upper Canada treasurer Tom Conway is part of a new Ottawa litigation boutique that celebrated its launch last month. Conway Baxter Wilson LLP cel- ebrated its launch on Nov. 13 after part- ners Conway, Colin Baxter, and David Wilson formed their bilingual litigation practice earlier this year. The firm, which restricts its practice to litigation only, will serve clients in the ar- eas of commercial and administrative law. Conway Baxter Wilson's lawyers raised a glass with clients and colleagues at the launch party last month at Play Food & Wine restaurant in Ottawa's ByWard Market. MORE DETAILS ON ATTACK ON MANAGING PARTNER MCLEAN, Va. — We're learning more about the attack on the managing partner of a promi- nent Washington-area law firm. According to the Washington Post, prosecu- tors noted Andrew and Alecia Schmuhl ap- peared to have been looking for information on other members of the law firm, Bean Kin- ney & Korman. During the attack at managing partner Leo Fisher's house last month, Andrew allegedly forced him to retrieve personal de- tails from his computer about other lawyers at the firm. But it may be that moment that gave Fisher and his wife, Susan Duncan, a break. As the Post reported, Duncan was able to move from the bathroom she was in while her husband was on the computer. When Andrew allegedly fired at her, she played dead and was able to hit a fire alarm. At that point, the perpetrators f led. According to the Post, the court has denied bond to the Schmuhls, who are both lawyers. The area's legal community, of course, has been in shock after the couple landed in court over the Nov. 9 attack this month at Fisher's home. When Fisher, 61, answered the door, a man stunned him with a Taser and handcuffed him. Over the next several hours, Fisher and Dun- can were hostages in their own home, accord- ing to the Post. A prosecutor involved in the case has described the subsequent torment and stabbings as a "torture session." According to the Post, Alecia had lost her job recently at Fisher's firm for poor performance. After the pair f led the scene, police managed to get a declaration from Fisher. At the time they tracked down the vehicle the alleged perpetra- tors had f led in, they found Andrew wearing only a diaper. Police have charged the Schmuhls with two counts of malicious wounding and abduction by force. Alecia's lawyer, Mark Petrovich, has said his client had remained outside during the attack and didn't know her husband had planned to stab and torture the couple, the Post reported. WOMAN WHOSE DOGS KILLED NEIGHBOUR'S PET SUES FOR $1M HOUSTON — Is the owner of the pit bull who killed another dog the plaintiff or the defen- dant? Surprisingly, she's the plaintiff in this case. According to Reuters, the owner of three pit bulls and a pit-bull mix is seeking up to $1 mil- lion in damages after her dogs entered a neigh- bouring Houston-area property and fatally at- tacked her neighbour's 10-year-old beagle. Emerald White said she was trying to re- trieve her four dogs from her neighbour's yard when the beagle attacked her, causing her dogs to attack, the lawsuit said. The beagle's owners, the Baker family, said the pit bulls broke into their yard and started the incident that left their beagle, Bailey, dead a few minutes after the attack ended in the Houston suburb of Texas City. White's attorney, Paul LaValle, told local broadcaster KHOU-TV: "I'm getting the hate mail and the death threats. They have a very good PR campaign working for the family that owned the beagle." White's lawsuit said her neighbours were negligent and that she suffered from mental anguish, disfigurement, pain, loss of earnings, and a fear of future disease because of the bea- gle attack. It seems the beagle owners aren't returning the favour. The Baker family told KHOU-TV it had no plans to sue White because it wouldn't bring their dead pet back. "Bailey . . . laid up next to the house and died," Steve Baker told the broadcaster. LT legal expertise? Looking for Find exactly what you need at www.CanadianLawList.com It's fast, It's free, s fa , s f and it's available to you 24 hours a day. ay. s available y availabl y Starting a business, making a will or buying a house? Declaring bankruptcy, dealing with a personal injury, insurance claim or job loss? If you're in the midst of one of life's big events, help is as close as your smartphone, tablet or computer. Simply go to www.CanadianLawList.com to find the right lawyer for your particular legal need. www.CanadianLawList.com is Canada's most comprehensive online directory of lawyers and law firms. And it's easy to use! You can search by city, legal specialty, or name for listings and contact information. Find the legal expertise you need at www.CanadianLawList.com. CLLonline_LT_July7_14.indd 1 14-07-02 8:13 AM u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story LAWYER ORDERED TO PAY WORKER $57K The Ontario Superior Court has ordered a Gravenhurst, Ont., lawyer to pay $57,000 to a for- mer clerical worker after a judge found he shut down his practice without proper notice to her. Virginia Zeats, who worked for lawyer Lyle Sullivan for 33 years, took him to court alleging lack of notice and vacation pay owed to her. Despite the lawyer's argu- ment that Zeats should have seen "the writing on the wall" about the firm's impending closure, Superior Court Justice Margaret Eberhard found Ze- ats should get 18 months' notice. "The statement of defence asserts that the plaintiff should have known the office was nec- essarily going to close as the de- fendant declined in his involve- ment and that this should have been notice to her," wrote Eber- hard in Zeats v. Sullivan. "I have no authority to support the assertion that a loyal employee should have seen the 'writing on the wall' and that the notice pe- riod should thereby be reduced. "To the contrary, author- ity cited by the Plaintiff included numerous cases where the ter- mination was in the context of a shutdown of the business, al- beit for financial not personal reasons. Neither the financial performance of the business nor the employer's subsequent bank- ruptcy reduce the notice period." POWERFUL WOMEN LAWYERS NAMED Lawyers have made their mark on the list of Canada's 100 most pow- erful women released last week. At least 14 lawyers are on the list the Women's Executive Network produces each year to highlight the professional achievements of women across the country. The names on the top 100 for 2014 include: • Julia Shin Doi, general counsel and secretary of the board of governors, Ryerson University. • Anne Kirker, partner, Nor- ton Rose Fulbright Cana- da LLP. • Lisa Borsook, executive part- ner, WeirFoulds LLP. • Heather Treacy, office man- aging partner, Calgary, Davis LLP. • Norie Campbell, group head, compliance and anti- money laundering and gener- al counsel, TD Bank Group. • Jane Gavan, chief executive officer, Dream Office REIT. • Anne Giardini, former presi- dent, Weyerhaeuser Co. • Joanne Alexander, senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary, Preci- sion Drilling Corp. • Kate Chisholm, senior vice president, legal and external re- lations, Capital Power Corp. • Samantha Horn, partner, Stikeman Elliott LLP. • Emily Jelich, vice president and associate general coun- sel, operations and disputes resolution, RBC. • Monique Mercier, execu- tive vice president, corporate affairs, chief legal officer and corporate secretary, Telus Communications Co. • Cheryl Reicin, partner, head of the technology and life sci- ences practice groups, Torys LLP. • Julia Deans, chief execu- tive officer, Futurpreneur Canada. LT "If they don't tip at least 20 per cent, we'll have them arrested for violating the zero tolerance for barbaric cultural practices act." Tom Conway

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